Bonneville derby
The Bonneville derby refers to the local association football derby between two clubs based in Bonneville, St. Gregory – Bonneville United and New Castle. The derby was first contested in 1988 and has been played twice annually since, but traces its roots back to 1974 when New Castle and the two clubs who joined to form Bonneville United were founded. Currently, United play at Ford Stadium, in central-west Bonneville, while New Castle play at Redfield on the east side of the city. The most recent meeting between the teams was the 2019 SGFA Cup Final on May 19, 2019, won 3-2 by Bonneville United. The most recent league meeting in the rivalry was played at Ford Stadium on February 3, 2019, as part of the 2018-19 League A season; United won the match 4-0, tying the largest winning margin by either side in the derby's history. Since the 2018-19 season, the teams have played for the Markey Jones Trophy, named for the late striker who represented (and won League A championships with) both clubs; the trophy is held by the most recent winner in league play. History The club today known as Bonneville United formed in 1988 as a merger of two other clubs – North Bonneville F.C. and West Bonneville F.C. – who, along with New Castle (then known as East Bonneville F.C.), all began play in 1973 as members of the amateur League of Southern St. Gregory. The clubs were formed simultaneously and out of a city-wide collaboration by players and investors to allow each of Bonneville's neighborhoods to develop their own talent and build clubs with identities distinct to their own communities. In 1979, all three clubs left the LSSG to become the three southern representatives in the new St. Gregory Football Association and its professional league, the Championship. They, along with three teams from the League of Northern St. Gregory, were the original six teams for the Championship's inaugural season in 1979-80. At the conclusion of the 1987-88 season, North Bonneville and West Bonneville – the latter facing mounting debts and threatening to fold – merged to become Bonneville United and a new rivalry between Bonneville's west and east sides began. Despite the long histories of the two clubs, they are yet to meet in an SGFA Cup Final. They have met once in an SGFA Shield match: the 2011 edition, which United won 3-2. Fans Both Bonneville United and New Castle have multi-ethnic and multi-lingual fan bases due to the diversity of Bonneville's population; however, due to the concentration of Francophone, Afro-Caribbean and Jamagorian populations in the city's inner, southern and western neighborhoods, those communities typically favor Bonneville United – United are the preferred club of more than 80% of Black Francophone Bonnevillians, according to a 2016 survey. New Castle's fan base, on the other hand, historically draws from the eastern suburbs of the city, which are predominantly white or mixed-race and where English is the preferred language. Notable matches * October 19, 1996: United defeated New Castle 4-2 in their first home match at the newly-opened Ford Stadium, in the process setting a record for highest score in the derby, in front of a capacity crowd of over 34,000 people. United's Steve Stratton scored the first goal in the new stadium. * September 30, 2011: The first-ever meeting between the two sides at a neutral venue took place as they contested the 2011 SGFA Shield. United won the match 3-2. * October 29, 2016: The sides combine for six goals – tying the record for the most ever in the rivalry – in a 3-3 draw at Ford Stadium. Greg Holloway, playing in his last home derby, scores United's second goal. * February 27, 2017: The return fixture at Redfield sees the home side reduced to 10 men when Paul Hamilton is sent off after bringing down Holloway, who converts the ensuing penalty. New Castle battle back to level the scores through Matevos Darbinian, but Andrés Guzmán restores United's lead nine minutes later and the visitors prevail, 2-1. * September 29, 2017: United win the 2017-18 season opener at Ford Stadium, 2-0, to extend their recent unbeaten run against the Reds. In a scrappy encounter, Chase Morton gives United a half-time lead before youth phenom Pierrick Miechamp doubles the advantage shortly after coming on as a substitute. * October 19, 2018: New Castle record their first win over United in more than 1,100 days as Jimmy Bennamani's second-half goal gives the Reds a 1-0 win at Redfield. Both teams had entered the match unbeaten from their first three games of 2018-19. * February 3, 2019: United hammer 10-man New Castle 4-0 at Ford Stadium, tying the largest winning margin by either side in the derby's history. Todd Luck is sent off for the Reds after bringing down Chase Morton in the box; Morton would score from the ensuing penalty. * May 19, 2019: The sides meet in the 2019 SGFA Cup Final, the first-ever meeting in the final between the two clubs. United lead 1-0 at half-time and then go up 3-0 midway through the second half, with Chase Morton scoring all three goals to become the only the second player after his father to score a hat-trick in an SGFA Cup Final. A late New Castle rally falls short and United prevail 3-2 to win their seventh SGFA Cup title. Results League A SGFA Cup * Bonneville United 3-2 New Castle (May 19, 2019) SGFA Shield * Bonneville United 3-2 New Castle (September 24, 2011) Players who have played for both clubs Bonneville United, then New Castle * Markey Jones (Bonneville United 1988-1994; New Castle 1999-2005) New Castle, then Bonneville United * Ian Fuller (New Castle 1992-1995; Bonneville United 1995-2000) Category:Rivalries Category:Bonneville United F.C. Category:New Castle F.C. Category:Bonneville